The first offenders have been jailed under the new powers, which were introduced to tackle the menace of so-called legal highs – with more cases currently progressing through the criminal justice system.
Police are also continuing to tackle retailers. Since 26 May 2016, when the act came into force, they have stopped 332 shops across the UK from selling the substances, formerly referred to as “legal highs”, and 31 headshops have closed down.